'Abortion should be allowed in cases of fatal feotal abnormality'

Q Radio News

An inter-Departmental working group at Stormont has recomended changes to Northern Ireland's strict abortion laws. 

The report was commissioned in 2016 by the then Health and Justice Ministers, with a view to informing the Executive on the best way forward. 

The working group report recommends: “that a change is made to abortion law to provide for termination of pregnancy where the abnormality is of such a nature as to be likely to cause death either before birth, during birth or in the early period after birth."

"Where a diagnosis has been made of such an abnormality, it is to be accepted that the continuance of such a pregnancy poses a substantial risk of serious adverse effect on a women's health and wellbeing."

On the issue of terminology and definitions, the report found that fatal fetal abnormality: "is an acceptable description of a diagnosis made". It would usually refer to prengancies of around 20 weeks gestation, of a fetal abnormality which will result in death in utero, at birth or shortly after birth."

Publication was to have been a matter for Ministers however the collapse of powersharing means there's been no ministers in place since January of 2017.

The Departments have now decided to release the report on public interest grounds and in line with Freedom of Information responsibilities.

The working group found that 'health professionals considered the current situation to be professionally untenable'.